“Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear.” (Quran 2:286)
Most of the mums are starting from zero. A little steady preparation turns a daunting challenge into a doable one. Here is how to ready the mums, the guides and your wider team, in body and in spirit.
A simple plan
Hold training sessions with each group, led by its guide and ideally at its own madrasah. They need not be long or frightening. They give the mums a chance to get fit, to practise, and to get to know each other and their guide.
Here is a gentle eight-week plan to share with your mums.
| Week | Suggestion |
|---|---|
| 1 | Group meeting. Walk for 30 minutes, twice this week. |
| 2 | Add a few squats, press-ups against a wall, and getting up from the floor. |
| 3 | Walk for 45 minutes. Practise in the shoes you will wear on the day. |
| 4 | Group session: crawling, climbing and carrying a loaded rucksack. |
| 5 | One longer walk of about an hour and a half, with a rucksack. |
| 6 | Group session: a longer walk and a practice in the clothes you will wear. |
| 7 | One last longer walk, then start to ease off. |
| 8 | Rest, with short walks only. |
Treat the plan as a guide, not a test. A mum who walks little can still take part, and a keen one can do more.
Preparing the spirit
The aim is to feel something real, not only to finish a course. Invite everyone to prepare in small ways:
- say a dua for refugees each day;
- give something in charity, however small;
- read or listen to one refugee’s story;
- talk with your group about why you are doing this.
Preparing the guides
Your guides carry the day, so prepare them well. Hold two or three sessions in the months before and cover:
- the purpose of the challenge and the spirit in which it is run;
- their role as both fitness guide and companion;
- the route, the safety plan and the two signals;
- how to lead gentle conversations, and how to respond when someone is upset;
- how to keep a group together on the walks and the course;
- the reflection guidance in this blueprint, which each guide makes her own.
Guides do not need to be scholars. Where you can, invite a scholar or chaplain to speak at the dinner, or to join the team for the day.
Ask the guides to complete the full route themselves before the day. They will lead better for it.
The final week
Seven days out, work through this list. It keeps the final days calm.
- Confirm numbers with both venues and the minibus company
- Send a short reminder to the mums about times, shoes and the rucksack
- Check the weather and agree what to do if it turns
- Print the registers, medical sheets and emergency numbers
- Prepare certificates and small prizes
- Confirm the dinner, breakfast and aid meal
- Confirm the night-time rota and the fire plan on a short call with all guides and leaders
By now you are ready. Next comes the first evening.